Campaign References

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Simplified Shock Tactics

So I like the concept of having charges act as an attack on morale. However, I am not happy with my convoluted matrix for adjudicating the results of a charge. Let's simplify that beastly chart and make something that is easy to remember and put into play at the table. We will keep all of the mechanics already in place, but change the results of the 2d6 morale check.

On a successful moral check, the combatant makes a normal melee attack. On a failed morale check, the combatant must withdraw from combat for a number of rounds equal to the roll's margin of failure. Withdrawing combatants may only take a normal movement action away from combat, but can defend themselves as normal (no penalties to AC). After the prescribed amount of rounds has passed, combatants may act normally.

If both parties fail, then neither may take any further action for that round as they reorganize.

So that pretty much sums up that whole chart without all that mess. One wrinkle for the attacker though. A failed charge wouldn't require a literal withdrawal, but I would put them out of combat for those rounds as they attempt to regain control of their mount. Maybe the attacker could abandon their mount to skip the rounds of lost activity, but the mount would flee the battlefield.

All in all, if you charge an enemy and win, you dislodge them from their position and get a few attacks. If you charge and fail, you take yourself out of combat for a bit and are vulnerable for a time as well. Overall, this tweak is easy to remember and implement during play, so I call it mission complete.